“No!” he yelled, yanking his hand out of her grasp.
Thankfully, the cops came walking through the front door.
I looked to Jacob. “Go into your room, kid. I’ll take care of this.”
Without a word, he did as I asked.
Natty was dragged away in cuffs, screaming the whole way.
“Cason, are you going to press charges?” Officer Whistler asked. He was Gavin Hayes’ best friend, and I was so thankful he was the responding officer to my call.
“Can I sleep on it?” I didn’t want to make the wrong decision.
“Of course. Take care of your boy and give me a call in the morning. We’ll hold Ms. Fitton in the drunk tank overnight.”
“I appreciate it, man.”
“Don’t mention it. I hope your night starts to get better.” We shook hands then Sean Whistler let himself out of my apartment.
I shot off a quick text to Stormi.
Baby, I hate to do this, but I need you home as soon as possible. I need to talk to Jacob and I promise I will explain everything in the morning, but please please please just get on the earliest train possible and come home. I need you.
It only took Stormi a few seconds to respond.
Anything you need, baby. I love you. Please fill me in as soon as you can.
Fuck, how did I get this lucky?
After knocking lightly, I opened the door to Jacob’s room. The sound of sniffling in the dark broke my heart.
“Hey bud, can we talk?” I sank down on the foot of his bed, leaving the light off.
“What was wrong with her?” he whimpered.
I sighed. “Your mom just had a bad night. Grownups have those from time to time. She just loves you so much and misses you.”
“I’ve never seen her like that before.”
“That’s a good thing, and hopefully you’ll never see it again. Your mom has been through a lot over the last couple of weeks. Can you do me a favor?”
“Sure?”
“Cut her a little slack and don’t hold this one against her. Everyone is allowed a mistake from time to time.”
“But she’s made a bunch, hasn’t she? Isn’t that why I had to come here?”
Jacob was too smart for his own good. I couldn’t lie to him; he would see right through my bullshit.
“Not a bunch, but a big one. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be all right, and you’ll be able to go home soon.”
He sat up and put his hand on my shoulder. “Does that mean I’ll never see you again?”
“Kid, wild horses couldn’t keep me away from you. You’re stuck with me. Even after you go back to living with your mom, I will figure out a way to still be your dad.”
“Good.” He wrapped his arms around my neck from behind.
“It’s late as heck. Try to get some rest. I’m going to figure all of this out tomorrow.”
“Night, Dad.”
“Good night, Jacob.”
Stormi
I burst through the door at eight in the morning. Right after getting Cason’s message, I’d booked myself the last seat on the first train from Pittsburgh to New York. I hadn’t slept, and me being worried was the understatement of the year.
I peeked my head into Jacob’s room to see him sleeping soundly—t
hank God—then made my way to our bedroom.
“Babe?” I tapped Cason on the shoulder, startling him awake.
He grabbed me, pulling me into him as I climbed under the covers.
“It was bad,” Cason started, and then he told me the entire horrific story.
“What do we do?” I sat up, completely in shock.
He scratched his bearded jaw. “Fuck if I know. All I can think of is calling Cindy and asking for her advice.”
“That’s what I would do.” I rested my head in the nape of his neck. “I am so sorry, babe.”
“I just feel bad for Jacob. He shouldn’t have had to see something like that. No kid ever should.”
“He’s a tough kid, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make this right.”
Chapter 10
Cason
Almost a year later
Months rolled by quickly with Jacob still living with Stormi and me. The holidays came and went, along with all of our birthdays, and I worked out my schedule and territories with the Otters so I wouldn’t have to be gone for more than a day at a time.
The three of us had turned into a nice little family, and even though I’d never thought our world would shift from two to three so seamlessly, I couldn’t picture my life any other way.
I had worked out my schedule and territories with the Otters so I wouldn’t have to be gone for more than a day at a time.
Natty was sentenced to court-ordered rehabilitation. It was the judge’s alternative to jail time since she was a first-time offender, and I was thankful for it. I didn’t want Jacob to have to endure visiting his mother through plate glass.
He was able to have weekly, hour-long talks with her as well as monthly supervised visits, which appeared to be working out well for both of them. Natty was getting the help she needed, and Jacob was healing along with her.
Everything seemed to be falling into place for the most part, and g
etting a lawyer was the last step. With Natty getting out soon, I knew it was time for me to fight for my rights. She had kept me out of my son’s life for the first twelve years, and there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell I was going to miss one more second with him.
“What if they try to take him from us?” Stormi asked as she sipped coffee on the balcony with me after I got home from walking Jacob to school.
“They can try, but they won’t succeed.” I was resolute in my plan. I wanted shared custody. I didn’t want to keep Jacob from his mother in any way, but I wasn’t just going to hand him over either.
“I really love him,” Stormi said as she sniffled.
“I know, baby. So do I.”
Before I knew it, it was time for court. With Cindy, Stormi, and my lawyer by my side, I marched in before a judge, ready to plead my case.
Natty glared at me from across the room, and if looks could kill, I would have been dead right there.
They tried their best, but Natty’s claims of me being an absent father fell on deaf ears once we were able to prove I had no knowledge of my son until I was slapped across the face with it barely a year prior.
It only took the judge half an hour to make decision, and you could have heard a pin drop as he took the stand again.
“I have not taken this case lightly, and I must say it isn’t every day we see a father step up the way Mr. Bennett has over the course of the last year. I commend you and your wife for that, sir. It is the typical course of action to side with the mother in cases of this nature, and I am inclined to agree with that practice for the most part. In this case, though, I think it would be to the child’s detriment to grant sole custody back to Ms. Fitton with the father so willing and eager to remain a steady figure in his life. It is my decision to grant partial custody to Mr. Bennett. With this, he will have weekend visitation every week. Jacob is to live with his mother during the school week and spend the weekends with his father.”
I wanted to scream for joy, jump up in the middle of the courtroom, and click my damn heels together, but I kept my cool.
“Thank you, your honor.” I stood as Stormi reached for my hand with tears of happiness streaming down her sweet face.
“You did it, babe.”
I kissed her cheek. “No, sweetheart—we did it.”
Epilogue
Cason
A little over five years later
I ran up to Jacob as he strode over to us in his cap and gown. I couldn’t believe what an incredible young man he had become, even graduating as the salutatorian of his class.
“I am so fucking proud of you, son.” I hugged him tightly as his arms wrapped around me.
Stormi stood next to us, blubbering. “You’re just
so freaking amazing, kid!”
“Thank you.” Jacob hugged her and my heart melted.
Natty sheepishly came up behind us. “Room for one more?”
Even with everything that had happened years before, we all were able to find peace in the chaos. It took time and healing with a splash of counseling, but finally, somewhere along the way, we were able to become some weird version of a family.
Stormi greeted Natty with a quick embrace. “Always,” she cooed.
“So, Dad, I talked this over with Mom and have her blessing, so don’t worry, it’s all good. Here.” He shoved a manila envelope into my hand.
“Aren’t we the ones who are supposed to give the graduate presents?” I asked as I ripped open the seal.
“I think this one is worth breaking the rules for a bit.” Jacob nervously watched as I pulled out the piece of paper. It was an application for a name change. He was adding my last night onto the end of his.
“Jacob Douglas Fitton Bennett,” I muttered out loud as tears rushed into my eyes.
“It’s only right to have both of our last names on there,” Natty agreed as she put a hand on her son’s shoulder.
“I don’t know what to say.” Just when I thought my kid couldn’t melt my heart any more than he already had, he surprised me with a gesture I’d never known could mean so much.
“Say it’s all right to send those papers in.” Jacob chuckled as he hugged me again.
“Of course it’s okay! It’s more than okay—this means so much to me.”
Stormi went from blubbering to full-blown waterworks. “This is just so fucking beautiful, I can’t stand it.”
“Without all three of you in my life, I don’t know where I would be today. So, thank you. You redefined family when you didn’t have to and learned to be the best three parents a kid could ever ask for.”
And there you have it folks, the best end to a perfect day filled with more love and gratitude for a kid I hadn’t known I needed in my life. My relationship with Jacob had fulfilled me in more ways than I had thought possible. Stormi had always been enough for me. She was my rock, my pillar, my world, and that hadn’t changed. Jacob had just shown me that you can have two most important people in your life. There is room to love completely and give all of yourself to multiple people without detracting from one.
In an instant, my life had gone from great to indescribably wonderful, and there was nothing about it that I would have changed.
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For You, I Will - Kristen Hope Mazzola
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Want more hockey hunks?
For You, I Will is a spinoff of Kristen Hope Mazzola’s Shots On Goal Standalone Series. Don’t miss out on the other ice melting stories in this series!
The Shots on Goal Series is made up of steamy, heart melting, standalone romances focusing on the New York Otters hockey team!! From the captain of the team, to his all-star boxing campion little brother, to NYPD officers - this series has it all, with tons of characters that will warm your heart and keep you turning those pages... So, grab your e-reader and yell "Ollie is my homeboy" while falling in love with this amazing group of friends, teammates, and family as they take you on one hell of a wild ride!
Hat Trick
One accident - a freaking car crash.
That’s all it took to send my brother’s and my life into a tailspin with no end in sight. I was going to be something. I was going to be the best. I had the Olympics in my sights. And it all went to shit in one flash. Brayden wasn’t ready to raise a younger sister when I was thrown into his lap. He had his life and everything going for him. Thankfully, he was still drafted to his dream hockey team. The same one dad played for when we were growing up.
It took time, but I started to get better, started to open up, started skating and even dating again. I even thought I found the perfect guy for me.
Isn’t it funny how guys hit on you when they know you’re not available, but when you’re single they won’t give you the freaking time of day? I guess the game is more fun that way. And for the captain of my brother’s team, that’s exactly what I was. A hat trick is three goals in hockey. Some say three is a crowd and they might be right.
I was Gavin Hayes' unobtainable goal.
Cross Checked
One accident - a freaking car crash.
That’s all it took to send my life into a tailspin.
Little did I know that out of the wreckage, everything would fall into place. I would get everything I had ever worked for.
Little did I know that I would find the woman who would cross check my life, flipping everything upside down.
Even though she's melting the ice that surrounds my heart, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Will I ever be able to find my footing or am I destined to stay pinned against the boards?
Cherry Picked
One chance encounter – that’s all it took.
Nikki Jennings is dancing her way into the big time. She has gone from a shy, small town girl to a New York City Ballet star. She had everything to offer the world and she was taking it by storm.
Chase Harding is a cocky jock that has always gotten exactly what he’s wanted. Most recently, the rookie spot on his dream hockey team. He has everything he could ever want until he meets Nikki. She won’t give him the time of day. He won’t take no for an answer.
Will Chase be able to score the v-card of his latest prospect or is he going to shoot and miss for the first time in his life?
Cherry Picked was previously released in Fiona Davenport’s Kindle World: Passion, Vows, & Babies. This story has been rewritten and reedited to remove all world elements and characters of Fiona Davenport’s world.
Low Blow
One injury - a freaking broken rib.
That’s all it took to send life into a tailspin at the age of sixteen. After getting a heart transplant, I knew that I could never take life or my talents for granted - I was going to be the best of the best. Boxing consumed my life and I was on track for greatness.
Everything was perfect until I woke up one morning, ten years after my surgery with an overwhelming need to meet her - the girl whose father’s heart beat in my chest.
Little did I know that she was going to save me all over again.
Playoff Beard
One attraction – a secret kept between friends for years.
That’s all it took to start one of the biggest love affairs to hit the NY Otters since Gavin and Myla. After getting his heart stomped on by a cheating ex-wife, Will Crosby doesn’t know what he's going to
do next, but it's not a relationship. Instead, he throws his entire self into the net, guarding it with his life. After all, he is the goalie.
Everything is finally coming together in his life until the cute bartender with her smart mouth and huge smile gets the better of him, right as the playoffs are around the corner.
Crosby now has to prove himself not only to his team, but also to the girl who has stolen his heart.
Off Duty
One kiss - that's all it took
For her to go from off limits to my off duty lover. For years we worked side by side and in an instant everything changed in the best way possible.
Jessica McBee was my best friend, my partner on the force and my only weakness.
When Myla Hayes, the wife of the captain of the NY Otters hockey team, is being harassed, we have to work together to take down the suspect.
But how can I let her be in the line of fire when I'm in love?
Find all of the books in the Shots on Goal Standalone Series here.
About the Author
Bestselling author, Kristen Hope Mazzola, is a Florida native that has found herself loving a North Carolina life. She writes contemporary romance ranging from steamy romantic comedy, sexy erotica, angsty new adult, all the way to sports romance – with dirty bikers, hot military men, and swoon-worthy rockstars in between. A portion of her royalties is donated to the Marcie Mazzola Foundation.
For You, I Will: A Shots on Goal Spinoff (Shots On Goal Standalone Book 7) Page 5